Monochrome Butterfly
by DecemberKitty
Summary: In an alternate universe where Allen was sold to a brothel, he meets a friendly courtesan, Lavi, and a not-so-friendly but damned attractive Yuu. How would he adapt to his new life in Rose Mansion, the top male brothel in Black district?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Pfft, after so long I'm writing again! Ahh, thank Sara-chan for this baby born..

I hope I can finish writing this, I didn't have any finished projects before Dx~

Disclaimer: The parallel universe this fic happens in is partially borrowed from _Mede Shireru Yoru no Junjou _A manga all of you must read! XD Well, actually its pretty similar =w='''~ Hnng~~Anyway if you're lazy, this fix is based in Japan in almost the same time period as DGM, without akuma, and innocence in the literal sense. Figuratively, many people are not innocent too :D

* * *

><p>Monochrome Butterfly<p>

Chapter1  
><em>Chrysalis<em>

❀_Flower _ _under harvest sun - stranger_ _To bird, butterfly. -Matsuo Basho_❀

* * *

><p>Bright lights.<p>

Glamour.

Allen wasn't used to that, having come from much darker streets of London.

Trying his hardest not to attract any attention, he struggled his way through the nightly teeming crowd- though he's not looking forward to his destination very much.

Wide variations of _Machiya_ lined the streets, ranging from low, broken down huts to the brightly lit mansions with sprawling yards. Shopkeepers bartered loudly with their customers as they traded myriad selections of goods over the counter. Money handed over, item checked, sold.

Allen found himself sympathizing with the steaming bun being sold to a whiskery gentleman as he watched with hungry eyes, shivering lightly in the chilly November wind that his tattered clothes let in.

His stomach growled, but that's normal.

A surge of emotion rode Allen, far more than simple hunger as he reckoned that he's being sold the same way too, just like that bun…only to serve till his debt was cleared. Watching the bun disappear very quickly while ignoring his noisy stomach, he wished it was as simple as being eaten in one mouth.

Disallowing any chance for self-pity, the lightly-built boy wiggled through another gaggle of obese men and found himself at the lavish front door of his dreaded destination; _Barayakata._

_I'm not going to make it out of here.._

Just for a second, Allen considered running away for the thousandth time since he set off from England, and his knees weakened at the thought that he might not run away from the building in front of him ever, if he stepped through the doorway.

Yet he could never run away with so many hot on his heels. He did not want to be caged..again.

"Oi how long are you going to stand there? Are you a first-timer?"

Opal eyes glimmered a second before a lithe figure strode out from a side entrance Allen had not noticed. Sweeping long, dark hair out of his face, the proud figure confronted Allen and shoved a finger painfully onto his forehead.

Allen couldn't help but shrink a little in embarrassment as a beautiful doll-like face, albeit angry-looking, filled his vision when the person glowered right into his eyes.

"On second thoughts, are you that stupid kid I'm supposed to get? You look too poor to afford any of us here. I would want to get some hair treatment if I were you, and had money of course."

A subdued blush quickly flooded his face as Allen was rudely remembered of why he was there in the first place..and that he..

"Hurry up."

The rude youth blended into the night so quickly that Allen only had moments to catch sight of the white ribbon trailing from his dark hair before he turned the corner. Jogging to keep up while pulling his cloak's hood over his head to cover his hair, the boy found a small wooden door left open at the side of the building. It would have blended into the alley if it was closed.

"Come in, idiot. And close the door after you."

Allen hurriedly followed the curt orders and peered up the wooden stairs, where the voice had came from. Upon hearing a short-tempered growl, he scurried up to the third floor.

"My name's Allen, wh-"

"You'll find the boss up there, stupid bean."

"What?"

Without another word the youth turned away, leaving a very annoyed boy in his wake.

Wood creaked lazily as Allen placed a foot on a stair, positively fuming.

_What the hell? How can anyone be so beautiful but so..mean?_

Not knowing what to expect, he trudged up the flight of stairs to the top floor whilst grumbling under his breath about the strange, rude, annoying, stupid pretty boy.

Rose Mansion, indeed. Prickly rose, that was.

* * *

><p>"He's here, Sir Leville."<p>

"Finally, I was about to think you had ran away."

Allen grit his teeth as a couple of hooded men muscled him down to his knees.

"No, Cross released me from that place. If I did not come here..where could I go?" Allen defiantly tried to fight back, but was easily overpowered and shoved even closer to the ground.

_Plus if I ran away..he said he'll find me and..make me clear his debt. On top of my own debt. And..that place would probably hunt me down too. I have no choice.._

"Indeed. He told me about you." The black-suited man crossed his fingers and leaned forward on his desk; something that Allen immediately didn't like. The tiny, slanted eyes gave him the feeling he was prey under the nose of a very hungry snake. "You belonged to a freak show, was it?"

Allen fought the urge to lash out as his head was pushed flat onto the ground.

"Its a circus-"

"No matter. Strip him."

Allen let out a short yelp of refusal as his threadbare cloak, shirt, pants and underwear were ripped from him in seconds, leaving him shivering with nothing but dirty gloves covering his clenched fists; which Allen quickly used to shield his private areas. Glaring at the blonde man, he squeezed his thighs together in humiliation as he waited for the expected outrage.

"What the hell? Why would that bastard send me something like this?"

A bark of fury sent Allen self consciously turning his left side away from the shouting man. There was nothing to be done for his hair, and he bowed his head, hiding the blood-red scar on his face dismally.

"I'll kill him for this! Sending me a freak-"

"I..he said..as long as I don't show my left hand its okay..and I can do something about my hair and face.." Allen mumbled, trying his hardest to hide the offending parts. "I did tell him I'm no good for this."

"He-" Leville spat at the ground and hissed. "He better be right you can do something about it. That bastard owes me ten million times of what he's worth. You better pay your value back for him."

The man got up and strode to Allen, appraising him with the exact aura of a shark worrying its prey.

"Turn around."

Not daring to question the angry man with those two gorillas ready anytime to make him obey by force, the boy complied and quietly turned his back to the man. He definitely didn't feel great about that, but he didn't want to infuriate them further; not while he was feeling so vulnerable and shivering in nude.

"Agh..!"

Without a word of warning, one of the gorillas delivered a quick punch to Allen's abdomen, immediately making the boy haunch over to protect his body.

"Don't ruin him, Goushi. His undamaged skin is worth quite something. Other than that arm of course."

Allen fought the urge to gag as he felt a hand stroke his back, proving Leville's point.

Sensing the jolt when he made contact, Allen could almost feel the triumph in the man voice as Leville felt all over him, judging his value; almost as if the boy was a mule or cow in the market.

"Don't..touch me!" It was really hard to shy away from the invasive hands, but Allen tried anyway.

"Sensitive. That's good, the customers would like him."

The other men grunted their approval as Leville prodded Allen's entrance with a pen, eliciting a soft hiss from the subject. "Perfect condition. Never been taken, had you?"

Not waiting for an answer- not that Allen would have replied- the blonde stalked back to his throne and signaled for the guards to take the boy away.

"Not that bad. I would say some would find him exotic. Perhaps he would have a chance to prove himself in the brothel."

Allen glared at the snake-eyes on the blond head with all the disgust that he could muster while he got up, attempting to recover his very bruised dignity.

"Let's see how much we can get out of you."

Grabbing whichever clothes he could when it appeared to him the guards won't mind dragging him out in nude, Allen hastily threw his cloak over himself and snatched his arm away from the guard that punched him.

"That'll be two thousand off Cross's bill for now."

* * *

><p>"Let go of me!" Allen snapped at the guard and shoved their hands off him as soon as the door closed behind him. Nursing his pride, Allen held his head high and his cloak tight around him, quickly stepping away from the two. "I'll find my way around here myself."<p>

"But Sir said-"

"_Myself. _Your boss can't know what he didn't see._"_

The guard Goushi sort of stared stupidly at his friend, and the friend in return grunted in similar level of intelligence.

Not making any sense of the exchange, Allen creeped his way silently to the stairs; one of the things he was really good at. Before any of them realized their topic of sub-intelligence discussion had disappeared, Allen found himself wandering down a long corridor lit by red decorative lanterns, with one side opening to the streets framed by an ornate wooden railing.

"Stupid guards.." The boy sighed as he peered over the busy street. Long periods of isolation had instilled a habit of him chatting whimsically to himself, though Allen's pretty sure he was mentally sound no matter how weird it seemed. Though not much of a trouble on normal occasions, that habit had an unfortunate side effect of making Allen vocalize and announce his thoughts more often than he wanted. "Now what?"

"What, what?"

Barely keeping himself from shrieking and attracting the attention of the hundreds out on the district, Allen swiftly turned around and received a painful flick on his forehead; the second painful attack on the exact same spot within the hour.

"Watch where you're going boy, assuming you're one since only one girl ever comes here and I know her too well that she won't be wearing a tattered rag like yours, and she has long pretty hair," Glib words spilled from a grinning mouth as Allen rubbed the spot on his head, wincing at his luck. "Come to think of it I had never seen hair like yours before around here; new boy?"

Allen kept himself from commenting that he had never seen that brilliant shade of amber on anyone's head before, either, and it took him a second to realize he had been asked a question. Caught off guard at the stranger's pace, he could only manage to nod indecisively as a reply.

"Uhm..Do you always do this to people you don't even know?" Allen tried not to stare too much at the black eyepatch beside the wickedly emerald eye of the stranger.

"Nope!" The redhead's cheer was highly infectious and Allen soon found himself warming up to the teen, who reminded him of an old comrade he lost at his old home. "Sometimes I pinch their ass, depends on my mood. My name's Lavi."

"I'm Allen, nice to- HEY!"

"Just checking if you're really a dude." With a lopsided grin, Lavi good-naturedly replaced the front folds of Allen's ragged cloak, acting as if he had only accidentally tugged a scarf out of place. In midst of the boy's self introduction, he had abruptly lifted the hem of the covering and bared all that is under to his eye (and anyone who happened to be looking up from the street).

"Welcome to the team little brother!"

Allen self consciously patted his front and fidgeted with his cloak.

"Wh-what do you mean?"A deep blush started to form when the white-haired boy realized he _could_ be talking about his..body, and that its-

"You prefer sister?" The green eye twinkled merrily with mischief. "I'm fine with that too!"

"N-no!" Allen almost shouted and feigned a cough to cover it up. "I-I mean, I barely know you and-"

A low grunt froze Allen in his words, and Lavi reacted sharply, glaring at something behind Allen's back.

"Goushi said we should do what Sir said and bring the boy to…" The unnamed guard scrunched his brows in effort to remember the name. "To.."

"Komui, was it?" Lavi grinned at Allen reassuringly, and grabbed the boy's left wrist. "I'll bring him over for you, I need to find the head, anyway."

"But-"

"Did Jerry say he made too much _tonkatsu_ for dinner? Or was it Udon?" The way Lavi put it so tantalizingly, Allen could almost smell the fried pork even though he didn't even know if the claim was true. His stomach growled, but he ignored it and watched the reaction of the man. He did not want to get manhandled so quickly again.

It did work on the gorilla-like man like magic though, and Allen stared in disbelief as he left shambling for the lower floors at the sound of food without question.

"Same trick works everytime snake-head pops over for dinner." The redhead mused, answering Allen's unvoiced question. "Though I'm pretty sure its Udon today. We're lucky Snake doesn't feed his boys very much, despite how they look."

"Now that I'd helped you and saw you, not in order, I know you right?"

Allen didn't know what to make of the strange logic and simply laughed at Lavi's childish grin. No one could reject the redhair's charisma.

Once Lavi was sure nobody was after his charge for sure by running a check upstairs to find the other guard discussing business with Leville (though it was mostly the boss shouting), he grabbed Allen again and scooted him right out of the red corridor.

"I suppose you're hungry too, seeing how you perked up when I mentioned food?" The seemingly older boy speculated, as Allen put his age around 18, 3 years older than him.

"Yeah..sort of. Its been two days since I had a proper meal.."Allen surprised himself as he recalled the past few days. How did he even survive till here?

"We'll feed you proper after you meet Mommy," Lavi winked with his single eye, and it had a pretty odd effect that seemed to Allen that he had winked _both_ of his eyes behind the eyepatch. He would never find out. "And we don't want to bump into hungry Orci before he goes home with _his _mom."

"Mommy?"

"Well he does act like one. We don't call him that in his face though. Usually." Upon seeing the confused expression on the white haired youth's face, Lavi laughed and pinched the smooth cheek. "'He' refers to Komui, our brothel _Mamasan_ to put it simply. He prefers to be called Supervisor though, but we call him Mom behind his back cause that's basically who he is to us."

"Ah.." A small shadow of grief crossed Allen's features as his new friend's words reminded him where he was. A male brothel..

* * *

><p>"We're here." Announcing cheerfully, Lavi shoved an oaken door open without waiting for an invitation after a quick impatient knock.<p>

"Who the-LAVI!" A dismayed voice shrieked the moment the door banged open, and Allen hid his eyes with his hands immediately, blushing a furious crimson.

"I _told_ you for the thousandth and one time, _not_ to just crash in without knocking!" A tall man cried despairingly as he scrambled from his desk, and the other stranger made to leave the room in a hurry, without bothering to dress properly.

"Sorry to spoil your fun Reever," Playfully shoving the leaving man's side, Lavi dodged a retaliating punch with ease of experience and grinned at the younger boy- still covering his eyes- behind him. "I had to give our new little brother an orientation, you see?"

"You _always_ do this..damn you, if I were Supervisor I would have kicked you to the fiftieth district."

"You wouldn't do that, plus there's only twenty districts in _Kuroshi,_ how would you do that?" Reever grimaced and tramped off, but not before giving Allen a friendly pat.

"A few more tries like this and you would be cutting it pretty close." Unsure if looking would be decent, Allen resolved to peeking though his fingers first , and removed his hands only after he was sure the man on the desk was properly dressed.

"Its okay Allen, I presume that's your name?" Strongly asian features smiled at the shying boy. "You would have to get used to seeing that if you're going to stay here. Its quite normal, at least for us. I'm Komui Lee."

So he's not local, after all. It made Allen feel slightly better, and for a second it made him wonder if Lavi was foreign too; he couldn't be totally sure. Reever was definitely western. Perhaps many of them were strangers on this land, too.

"He's been approved by Snake." Lavi piped, throwing himself onto a nearby couch.

"Its _Leville_, show some respect for your boss. I can't cover for you all the time." Yet even as he said it, Allen could see an open smile from Komui and it made him relax by a large fraction. Anyone who wasn't quite on the side of that shark-man couldn't be too bad.

"How old are you?" The question was directed to Allen, and the taller man settled comfortably back to his ornate chair behind the desk, flipping through mountains of bound books.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure but I'm around 15 I guess." He had never knew his exact birthdate, and Allen had always made do with a general estimation. A second concern quickly made itself known to him; did they have any prohibitions on minor sex workers?

He wasn't sure which way would be better. If they didn't, he might have to start working _right now_ and he wasn't prepared, but if they did..they might have to kick him out, or something.

Allen immediately wished he had exaggerated his age, since already he wasn't too sure about it from the start.

"Not too bad, we should be able to find a use for you right now."

Allen steeled himself and prepared himself for the verdict.

"The kid looks like he's about to be raped any moment." Lavi chortled from and lounged lazily across his seat to face Allen, tossing the boy a sweet. "Relax, here in _Bara _we don't initiate kids till they're 18. We're not like other sleazy slave shops that try to get every dime out of their boys; Komui takes care of us perfectly. Right, Mom?"

"Don't call me that!" Even as he rebutted, Allen could still see the small grin of pride lingering at the corners of the Asian man's mouth. "But Lavi's right, he summed it up for you. Until you're 18 and have your _mizuage_, you'll be working as an attendant."

"It wasn't too bad though, the main job." The redhead chipped in again, still lounging on the couch. "Life here's much easier than in places like district twenty."

A tinge of darkness in his tone made Allen quite sure he wouldn't want to be at district twenty, wherever that was.

"You _chose _to be _Kagema _even though Bookman kindly took you in as apprentice for treasury," Komui sighed, and ceased flipping his books to look at Allen in the eye. "A choice means everything right?"

"Being just an apprentice would have bored my hair off.."With a wide yawn, Lavi curled up and closed his eye. "Wake me when you're done with him."

"You're so lazy, it'll only take a few minutes.." Rubbing his temple, the older man shuffled more papers and gave them up as a bad job. "Its my job to brief you Allen, before I let you off to bed or dinner."

Stomach grumbling again at the sound of food, Allen found a seat and listened with rapt attention, hoping that it would end preferably soon.

"This place, as you know is _Barayakata,_ but we just call it _Bara _in short. Its your home now."

Allen thinned his lips in a small smile. He had not heard that word in a long time. _Home_, it arouses a small comfortable feeling.

"We're located in _Kuroshi _first district, the top place to go for customers who want the best service from _Kagema, _which just means male prostitutes. No point shielding you from hard truth."

"Here we do not allow our young ones to get involved too much, though that is not to the knowledge of the higher ups." At that, Komui did an uncanny impersonation of Leville crossing his fingers, which made Allen involuntarily giggle.

"Thanks to our high fees and standards, we're able to avoid questions and provide the best we can to our family..yup we consider each of us as one strange family. However, you do have to help out, and get trained till you come of age and have your _mizuage…_ then you'll work as a full fledged courtesan."

"That's pretty much the summary." Komui sipped from a cup and made a dour face. "Oh and a couple of things to note. Due to the bosses' habit of recruiting through monetary trades, most of us are not allowed to leave the city being 'property' of the company. Also, they don't like sexual relationships between said property as they would much rather have them using the chance to earn them more money."

"Though _sometimes _we're allowed to have some fun, as long as they never know." Smoothly cutting in, Lavi gave Komui a pointed leer and yawned again. "I hope you're done with him, I almost fell asleep for real. i must have heard that thing for at least twenty times."

"I wished you did." Komui groaned and Allen had the image that Lavi was a traveling migraine to the older man. He had to stifle a laugh.

"Come on then, I'll take you to grab a bite and we'll go to see your room, then you can change out of your rags." The red haired teen rolled off his spot and strolled out of the door. "He's sharing with Yuu, right?"

"Assuming that you're not joking that he's sharing with me, yes he's sharing with Kanda Yuu." Almost as an afterthought, Komui called after the leaving pair almost desperately. "Make sure you introduce them nicely!"

* * *

><p>"Who's Yuu?" Allen questioned as he struggled with his armload of snacks, peering over his stack to see Lavi almost dropping his; that was Allen's share, too. Even after eating out all the leftover food to Jerry, the cook's, delight, the boy still felt hungry from two day's worth of starvation. The overjoyed cook had showered him with midnight snacks for him to bring back.<p>

"He's our local princess." Seeing the questioning look in Allen's face, Lavi dropped a pack of _dorayaki_ and did not attempt to pick them much to the other's dismay. "No, I'm serious. I fell in love with him like, eighty times since I met him. STRIKE!"

To prove his point, Lavi did a dangerous looking stunt of balancing everything onto one hand and hitting his chest with the other.

"But he does have a prissy temper and broke my heart all the eighty times." He sported a surprisingly cheerful tone despite his statement. "Yet, after every time I would still fall in love again. Worth it!"

"Good luck with him." Allen vaguely wondered if anyone's temper or looks would be able to rival the beautiful doll he met earlier, and that maybe peoples' temper tended to be pretty short if it was the redhead bugging them all day, taking Komui as reference. He, though, personally didn't mind Lavi all that much.

"You wouldn't be saying that so easily once you met him. Half the brothel's in love with him, not counting the rest of the districts." Carelessly weaving around the myriad of corridors, Lavi knew his way around very well; but Allen was willing to bet the money he doesn't have that he would be lost the next time he has to venture around alone.

"Not a chance, any of us, not a chance. You can bet that once he's willing to go through his _Mizuage_ half the city would be lining up for him. Princess Yuu, I would be too. If he wants to, that's the thing." Seemingly to Allen that there just couldn't be any more turns and stairs in the great building, Lavi stopped at a tidy door at the end of a quiet passageway. "Here we are!"

Unsure if he should just knock or go in, Allen stared blankly at the door; slightly anxious of his unknown, infamous room mate.

"You know, I'm pretty jealous now, but _Kagema_ are not allowed to share rooms with anyone." Sighing dramatically, Lavi ruffled Allen's snowy hair and grinned. "Good luck to you, too."

"Uhm, is he in or.."

"You'll never know till you go in!" Ignoring Allen's protests, the older boy carelessly threw open the door and dragged an unwilling Allen in after him, dropping lots of food on the group in the struggle. Upon realizing this he simply dropped everything noisily into one corner. "Neh Yuu! We've got you a new room mate so you won't be lonely anymore!"

"Nice to me-"

"What's bloody wrong with all of your ears? I said I don't need a room mate, which part of that did you not understand?" A familiar figure rose from a low table and prowled towards them furiously. "And I totally remember reminding you _not_ to call me that merely an hour ago."

Grey eyes widened in shock as Allen took in the appearance of the pretty doll-guy he met earlier; the straight dark silky hair, deep sharp eyes, slender figure..

"Get out!"

And a door slammed millimeters away from Allen's nose before he knew it.

"Vivacious as usual." Lavi muttered mischievously, then turned to his new friend. "That's his typical-nice-to-meet-you, and you've met our princess Yuu."

"And now comes the problem of coaxing him into opening the door for you."

"I don't think he likes me.." _Or you_, Allen added silently.

"Don't worry, he's just shy."

"I definitely hope so." With a pang of hunger, Allen remembered that Lavi made him leave all his food in Yuu's room… "Now what do we do?"

* * *

><p>AN: Not being a native Japanese, I'm not very good at these terms… but here's a few notes anyway (I hope I used them correctly :x)..<p>

_Machiya- _Traditional Japanese wooden townhouses.

_Barayakata- Lit._ Rose Mansion (A small reference to Black Order's Rose Cross).

_Tonkatsu- _Fried Pork.

_Kuroshi-_ _Lit._ Black District (Black 'Order' just doesn't fit here x'D)

_Mizuage-_ A coming of age ceremony, where the Courtesan in question typically sells his/her virginity to a bidder (or sometimes someone he/she chose).

_Kagema-_ Male courtesan.

_Dorayaki- _A red bean pancake-thing.

Hopefully I can has some reviews!-throws cookies-


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Ahhh my cat's fighting again..

Monochrome Butterfly

Chapter2- Whispers in the leaves

❀Won't you come and see  
>loneliness? Just one leaf<br>from the kiri tree. -Matsu Basho❀

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><p>"Open up!" Lavi yelled hoarsely for the hundredth time and kicked the abused door tiredly, having kept up an unceasing plea for Yuu to let Allen into his room, and was at it for almost half an hour. "Stupid Yuu-"<p>

"Its okay Lavi!" Allen cried in alarm when the redhead backed up seemingly ready to ram the door with his body- possibly planning to knock it down. That wouldn't go down well with the room's occupant, or the management of the building. Its almost a miracle that no one had came running down to the noise they had been making the whole time, and Allen reckoned the door had half its lifespan cut away by their effort."Its okay, I'll sleep outside.. you should go back to sleep too."

"We can go back and find Komui.."

"We shouldn't disturb him, its pretty late now.."

"But-" Gulping in sympathy, Lavi slumped his shoulders and watched the small figure bravely curl up beside the entrance. "I would have asked you to come to my room but.."

"You're not allowed, its okay." A small gentle smile from the boy attempted to reassure the older teen. Lavi couldn't help but feel greatly guilty as he slowly stepped away from the room.

"Hmm know what, I'm getting a blanket for both of us so we can camp here till Yuu opens up. He can't shut himself in forever. "

"That's.."Allen started to protest, but the other boy had already jogged off down the corridor. "..Okay."

_'How can anyone be so sweet?'_ Lavi sighed as he quickly headed to his room on the upper floor to grab his comforter. The way Allen smiled reminded him of the innocent lost children he had once lived with -struggling to survive- so long ago. He had probably never found such pureness after he had wandered into the brothel..

_'Yuu has to be stupid to not keep that child. But then again, he is pretty dumb..'_

* * *

><p>Kanda sighed in relief when the hammering on his door finally stopped, after a whole hour of ruckus from the stupid redhead and new boy. Having remained a stony silence while trying hard to pretend-meditate; while in reality he was fuming lightly at the supervisor for ignoring his demand to be left alone, and that Lavi had called him by his given name <em>again<em>. He was pretty much mad at everyone and the distracting noise outside didn't help very much in helping him retain his inner peace.

"Che."

Closing his eyes once again, he braced to meditate for real; it was a habit he had cultivated for a while in attempt to deal with the daily annoyance at the brothel.

It was not that long before his mind started wandering again, and his eyes fell on the pile of discarded food in a corner.

_'Idiots messing up my room..'_

_'Where did that kid go anyway?'_

_'Did Usagi take him in? But they're so bitchy about Kagema sharing rooms with non-customers..he would definitely get into trouble if he did._'

_'I told them I don't need a room mate..maybe he went to Komui and requested for a change? Its late though..'_

_'Damn kid. Screw this.'_

Kanda 'Che'd again and gave meditation up as a bad job. He wouldn't be able to carry on with that stupid boy weighing his mind. Getting up from his bed and carelessly tying his long hair up in a low ponytail with the assigned white hairtie for attendants, he strode over to the battered door and hesitated for a second before unlocking it with some difficulty. Lavi seemed to have damaged the lock to some extent, and Kanda silently cursed the redhead for it. If it ever gets reported it would be Kanda who gets into trouble..

_'Ill just check where that kid went and mind my own busine-'_

"_Baka Moyashi_ why are you still here?" Dark eyes widened in astonishment when he nearly tripped over Allen's leg, and he sleekly recovered himself.

"Oi." Nonchalantly prodding said foot with his own, Kanda scrambled to catch the boy when Allen abruptly leaned and fell towards the ground. "What are you doing? Playing dead?"

Soft snores answered Kanda as Allen's snowy head drooped into a nice, warm chest.

Slightly shivering from cool draughts that his ragged cloak couldn't shield him from, Allen subconsciously curled further into the welcoming heat.

"What's that idiot doing, leaving you here alone?" Grumbling under his breath, the dark haired teen collected the younger boy into his arms and hoisted him into his room, deciding to leave him at the opposite corner from his bed after some consideration. "At least don't let him fall sick on my doorstep, moron."

He was about to head out of his room when Kanda backtracked, begrudgingly picked up his blanket, and dumped it over the still-snoozing boy.

* * *

><p>"Oi Komui!" Kanda called as he knocked on this supervisor's room door; something he rarely did, but on respect of the late hour, did anyway. "Come out now!"<p>

A near-silence met the Japanese, but he swore he heard ceased whispers on the other side.

"Che. I know you're in there!"

Silence.

"I'm not going to leave till you come out! I know you have Reever in there with you, I'm not telling anyone."

_Everyone knows already anyway, che._

A small yelp, but quickly snuffed out.

"Maybe it isn't Reever in there? I won't tell too."

"I'm leaving _Bara_."

"…"

"Your sister's getting married!"

Kanda could sense the dark aura immediately emanating from the door the moment those word's left his lips, but the door stubbornly remained closed.

"…fine. I'll get you tomorrow. Damn you, chinese."

There was nothing to be done then, as Kanda knew the _couple _ in the room wouldn't want him to disturb them anyway no matter what he said. And he was too dignified to barge in like a certain redheaded idiot. He would have to make do with what he had and sort things out the next day.

Deciding that he couldn't sleep with a stranger in his room, and since he was too riled anyway, Kanda turned and headed up the building.

He did not go very far before he bumped into a coworker at the stairway.

"Hey So- I mean, Kanda." The noticeably elder man flushed as he swept a lock of stark white hair to the back, laying it against his contrastingly coal-shaded head. He struggled as he attempted to drag a very drunk man down the corridor, carefully avoiding rough gropes as he did so.

"Business on cold season Vampire boy?"

"Its dry weather today, so some of them turned up. Lavi and Link weren't on shift so I took the customer." The man shifted the customer's weigh on his shoulders and stared ferociously at Kanda. "And I'm not 'Vampire boy', my name's Krory."

"Cheated this guy didn't you?" Smirking at the darker side of Krory's usually docile personality, he knew better than to pursue the topic. "Drunk so he won't remember you didn't let him touch you? Or was it drugs?"

"Shut up." Almost hissing, Krory narrowed his eyes; dark pools that contrasted sharply with his pale complexion.

He continued staring malevolently at the teen's back as Kanda left without a word, and only continued heaving the customer out when he was sure he was left alone.

Kanda soundlessly made his way over the parqueted floors and stairs up to the top floor. Knowing that the little incident with vicious-Krory would be forgotten once he was off duty and became softie-Krory once again, the teen left it at that and quietly anticipated his small escape.

Striding purposefully into a forgotten attic, he threw open the badly-hinged window facing the alley and easily hoisted himself out of the building. Using the ledge and a few crudely made handholds as small support, he pulled his body up the slanted roof; carefully avoiding loose tiles as he did so. From the random night-straggler's view, he could be barely seen as his ebony hair and _Yukata _blended in perfectly with the night. Though it would definitely look pretty dangerous and haphazard if anyone did spot him by looking straight up from the alleyway.

Breathing in deeply was the first thing Kanda did when he found his spot, and it did miracles to clear his head.

He was lucky that it wasn't raining that night. It just seemed to pour abnormally frequent recently; even if _Kuroshi_ tended to have rather erratic weather patterns, having been based on a highland.

He had only ever came up to the roof now and then when he wanted to avoid trouble or annoying people, but he used to climb with another young apprentice so long ago on busy periods, escaping together from the noisy bustle.. buried memories relieved themselves easily on this place that Kanda both loved and hated.

Once again, Kanda found himself reminiscing before he could help it, and brutally reminded himself that his only friend was long dead and gone.

The silent roof overlooked the five storied brothel..the district..and the gate he could never cross.

_I need to stop being such a sissy._

Growling to stop himself from looking too much at the gate ablaze with red lanterns- welcoming people in and warning its inhabitants from exiting- Kanda forced himself to look at straggled drunkards yelling obscenities at other people, traders, passersby and courtesans alike.

Sometimes, he just wished he could just let go like them; but he knew he never would.

* * *

><p>"I'm back Allen! We can cuddle together now!" Lavi skipped back to where he left the younger boy and looked around bemusedly when he couldn't see anyone. "Allen? Alleeeennnn?"<p>

Draping his pinkish colored comforter over his head -and in effect making him look like a giant moving peach- Lavi searched the area for a while before he concluded the boy was either in Kanda's room, or on Kanda's bed.

Against his better decision, he decided to check if the boy was really accepted into the surly Japanese's territory before he left the poor boy in Kanda's hands.

"Yuu? Is Allen in there with you?" Lavi attempted opening the door, but it was as expected securely locked, once again. "Yuu?"

Rapping his knuckles on the abused wood, he continued calling out to the inhabitants; Lavi had obtained a very obstinate streak since early times and was known for never giving up in making people open doors if he could help it.

It took a very long moment before something finally responded to him, and Lavi's blanket almost slipped off his head when he realized it was a very drowsy Allen opening the door for him.

"Hey! Uh.." The redhead trailed off when he realized someone wasn't in. "Where's Yuu? How did you get in there?"

Allen blinked slowly and took two full views of his surroundings before he sobered and realized he had opened the door. _From the inside._

"Eh? What?"

"Where's Yuu?"

"I..no idea." Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Allen blearily stared at Lavi's outrageously pink hoodie thing. "Where..?How did I get in here?"

"Sneaky boy huh? I expect he carried you off while you were asleep."

"But..where is he?" Shivering slightly from the cold, the white haired boy tugged the blanket around him tighter, in attempt to block the chilly drafts. He had no idea how he acquired that warm item, but it was very comfortable.

"No idea, was asking you?" Peering closely at Allen, Lavi stretched out from his own blanket and pinched the boy's cheeks which were getting rosy from the cold. "By the way, please don't let him see your face like this. Yuu might just pounce you; I get the feeling you're just his type!"

"Oh..shush!" Allen blushed and quickly dodged away from Lavi, who cheekily grabbed him and roughly rubbed his head-further disheveling Allen's bedhead. "Well but honestly I don't really have any idea what type he likes."

"Anyway now I know you're safe and warm, I'll just head off to my nest and catch a few hours." Throwing Allen a reassuring grin, the redhead yawned and turned to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

* * *

><p>It was a couple of hours later when true midnight had passed, that Kanda finally got so sick of his perch and the same drunkards raving on the streets. He was starting to miss the warm comfort of his bed; even with another sharing it (conveniently forgetting that he had left his room mate on the floor and wasn't going to share). Kanda groused when a light drizzle started to fall.<p>

Feeling stupid that he had allowed someone to cheat him of a good night's sleep, the raven haired teen grumbled darkly and decided to head back after all and grab a few hours of rest, refusing to admit that he had lost to the chill and rain. Slinking back to the clear corner where he could safely get back into the building, Kanda vaguely wondered what he should do with the new, strange boy.

Stepping carefully back on the ledge, he ducked back into the window. He was about to hop down to the ground when he saw something unfamiliar in the dusty place he knew so well, and froze.

_Nobody knows this place, except for.._

Kanda quickly shook away that trail of thought and stiffly strode to that strange, lightly heaving mound of _something._

Or rather, _someone._

_"_What the bloody hell are _you_ doing here?" Keeping himself from jumping back in surprise when he uncovered the fabric- which he now recognizes as his blanket- and discovering a blaze of snowy hair, Kanda growled and prodded the boy's shoulder rather roughly. "Oi! Why are you here stalker? My room not good enough for you?"

"…gh.."

"Hey stop slee…" Dark eyes widened a fraction when Kanda's hand brushed against Allen's cheek. It was burning.

"You have a fever idiot! Why did you come out here?"

"Hnn…" Delirious, Allen curled into a tighter fetal position and started trembling like a wet kitten. "..no…"

Impatiently muttering a curse under his breath, Kanda checked the boy's temperature again with the back of his hand and hissed at the heat he was confronted with.

"We can't call the doctor at this hour. Get up."

Allen attempted to drag himself up to his heels, but shook so violently that he collapsed; the other man swiftly caught him before he hit the hard ground.

"Che. Why do you have to make things so difficult for everyone?" Muttering half heartedly, Kanda made do with heaving the surprisingly light boy onto his shoulder and carried him that fashion back to his room. "Baka moyashi."

It was without hesitation this time that Kanda dumped Allen on his bed when they reached, though he noticeably chose to do it with less force than he might have used.

Rolling over to his side, the boy curled and shivered violently; prompting Kanda to quickly find his thickest spare blanket to throw over him. At loss as he had hardly fell sick and had never took care of any patients before, he fetched a glass of water upon spotting Allen's parched lips.

It was when he held Allen head up disgruntledly to make the boy drink when he noticed Allen's even poorer state of dressing than before.

"Stupid sprout, your rags would never keep any wind out, and you lost even more of them in the few minutes I left you? Are you that broke that you had to sell them?"

_Of course he is; or why would he even be here?_

Swiftly reining up his sympathy -no use for that here- Kanda went to his wardrobe and dug out the smallest size of clothes he owned, and brought them back to the bed.

Deciding that asking Allen to get up and strip would be too much trouble, the raven-haired simply tore the threadbare cloak away, and curbed a small surprise when he realized the boy really didn't have anything else on. Not even his underwear.

"Do you always run around like this?" Lips twitching into a small grin at the boy's weary resistance, Kanda smoothly put away his slight cheek and rolled the numerous layers of clothing around the shivering child. "That should keep you warm till morning.. I hope so anyway."

"I'm only letting you stay till you recover. Idiot."

Tired out by the stream of events, Kanda extinguished the oil lamp flickering at the far side of the room and slid back beside Allen in the dark.

* * *

><p>"How did he fall sick so suddenly? I asked you to take care of him and-"<p>

"Che, so its now _my_ fault that he's streaking around nude?" Kanda snapped back a retort as Komui berated him the next day, having came to visit the pair in the morning. "Ask that idiot _usagi_ why did he let him sleep at my door, and the stupid boy himself for choosing to sleep in the attic after I let him in! And you, I remember specifically telling you I _don't_ want a room mate, ever!"

Mornings disturbed by idiots and the lack of sleep generally put the Japanese in a bad mood. With a huff of annoyance, Kanda crossed his arms and leaned against the wall; keeping a death glare on Lavi who was slinking around the corners. A single glare promised horrible death to anyone who said anything retarded.

"Well well, but we don't have any spare rooms left, Kanda," Komui said appeasingly as he settled by the bed to look better at the ill boy. "You do know that. The higher ups are already considering transfers.. plus he's a sweet boy, you wouldn't mind him."

"He's annoying."

"But you wouldn't let such a poor kid be alone, and sick, wouldn't you?"

Kanda's face barely twitched, but a tiny wince made Komui sure that he had won the war.

"Good morning, I heard from Marie that you have a sick boy here?"

The expression on the sharp featured face quickly recovered the fleeting panic that it displayed as a middle aged man with fluffy greying hair knocked and opened the unlocked door.

"Oh yes bless that man, he sure is fast."

"I..am going out." Before Kanda could make a hasty escape, a strong hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a fatherly hug.

"Yuu-chan! Its been so long! Didn't get into anymore trouble did you?" A kindly face peered into Kanda's as the elder man inspected him like a long lost child. "Or did you finally learn to escape punishment better? Good boy."

"…" Having been caught by the local doctor that Komui favored for his shared empathy in caring for the 'family', Kanda resigned to stonily facing the warm gestures as he went back to his wall. He marginally ducked when a hand attempted to pet his head, and his face effectively gained a darkly dour expression. "Che."

"Back to business, how did the poor thing become so sick?"

Dark eyes cautiously trailed the man as he retreated and found Allen, solemnly sitting down by the bed.

"Seems that he had been left out in the cold nearly naked for quite some time, from what Kanda told me." Komui eyeballed said teen and sighed. "Is there anything you can do for him Froi?"

"Why would anyone allow that?" Froi shook his head and coaxed Allen to take a glass thermometer into his mouth. "Children should be dressed warm in this weather, not go streaking around.."

Komui nodded his agreement as he fiddled with his fingers, watching Kanda with a meaningful stare; though the latter couldn't really quite catch what he was trying to communicate and by default sent back a forceful glare.

"He's running a temperature indeed.."

"Oh yeah, that's news." Kanda bit out before he could stop himself.

"You shouldn't be so rude, Yuu-chan."

"Only if you stop calling me that stupid way, old man. And I may consider."

Kanda growled rebelliously at the warning look Komui sent.

"Keep it down Yuu-chan-"

"Damn you-"

"Quiet down, or we'll disturb the poor boy's rest." Serenely patting Allen's arm, Froi gathered his bag and got up.

"Che." The dark haired teen, though getting greatly annoyed, still took care to tone down as he hissed at the doctor. "You're done?"

"Yes, fortunately the child seems to have not caught anything other then a regular chill-"

"The fever?"

"Stop interrupting him Kanda. Let him finish." Finally getting to the end of his tether, Komui spoke up and subdued the irate teen into silence. He rubbed a temple and nodded at Froi for the doctor to continue.

"It would be best to take extra care of him till he recovers. Get him plenty of water, food, regular change and a comfortable environment and he would be good as new in no time."

An alien rumble punctuated the doctor's sentence and it was moments before everyone realized it was Allen's stomach.

"That's what I meant. Boys his age should have lots of food and nutrition. I daresay he's under nourished..and Yuu should eat more too, you do seem thinner than I last saw you." Froi's eyes twinkled, contrasting strangely with Kanda's menacing aura. "And I personally recommend ginger tea for him. Oh but if the temperature doesn't go down in two days, do call me up again in case it develops into something more serious. I'll be relying on you Yuu-chan!"

On that note, the elder man left- leaving a smoldering Kanda who might have been steaming very visibly..if he could.

"I'll be relying on you to get him well again, too." Recoiling slightly upon seeing the look on the teen's face, Komui swiftly planned for a quick escape. "Allen's breakfast, and yours. I'm going to get it so.."

"I'm going too. Bookman was looking for me.." Seemingly appearing from nowhere as he had kept a subdued silence through the whole exchange rather uncharacteristically, Lavi tailed the supervisor in haste.

Almost running, the duo briskly jogged back to the main of the building.

* * *

><p>Kanda watched and breathed an internal sigh of relief at being left alone again.<p>

Well, not quite.

He has a patient to take care of now.

Very dutifully, Kanda tucked the sleep-mumbling boy into the sheets and settled at the foot, feeling rather drained. He did not have a good night's sleep, having woken up at regular intervals to check Allen's temperature last night.

He abruptly snapped to the realization that he had been acting like a mother hen.

Mentally stabbing himself that he had done such a strange thing _for a stranger_, Kanda sighed and watched the boy fidget in his slumber, until he found himself dropping off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Ma, is it true we're gonna get transfers?" Lavi worried after Komui as they trooped to the kitchen. "You won't let them move us would you?"<p>

"I can't say.."

"I want to know."

The supervisor slowed to a tense gait and regarded the red-haired man, before finally giving in to the pleading gleam in the emerald eye. "Don't call me mom, don't look at me like that. I'm already trying my best.."

For a moment, Lavi fell quiet as he watch the bottled tension fall over the Asian man, dramatically increasing his face's age by a dozen years. He wondered just how much the supervisor had been shielding the family from through all this time.

It was a lot, just from what he could comprehend.

The others..

"They're pressurizing you." It was a statement, and from the small collapse of Komui's shoulder he knew it was the truth. "Damn sharks and crows, they are."

"No..I'm probably just not doing enough." Lavi instinctively sensed the despair in Komui's tone. "Its always not enough."

"Did something happen? You should update us, supervisor. We need to know what's going on-"

"There's competition."

"But there always had been, but none had been able to rival us." Through the ten years Lavi had been at _Barayakata_, none others had been able to come close to the popularity it scored. It was solid proof that the top brothel was unrivaled, and the higher ups should have nothing to complain of.

Even if there are stubborn slackers like Yuu and con courtesans like Krory.

Yet it was undeniable fact that they had the best charmers and even the surly Japanese beauty attracted admiring patrons simply by reputation.

It was impossible.

"Its true. They call themselves _Dark Eden, _ and also offer exotics."

Exotics. Lavi snickered at the term used to describe foreigners bartered like goods in the red-light district.

"What is it this time? Komodo dragons?"

"There's a couple of highly popular Portugueses, French ladies, and mixes just to name a few." Komui's expression turned darker with each passing phrase. "And they're very attractive as I heard from Bak. He went spying there and even found himself impressed."

"Wait, they offer women or.."

"Both, Lavi, both." Desperation rose in Komui's voice as he buried his face in a hand. "They don't care what they do as long as they get the crowds. Men, women, they don't care. They get all of them, and it wouldn't be long that we're forced to do something or close down."

"No way.."

Yet recalling the past months, Lavi did notice the decline of patrons seeking them. He had blamed it on the bad weather..

"But..this business here usually just offers one gender a house..they are spoiling the market! It doesn't make sense!"

The supervisor shrugged in frustration.

"Then the transfers..?"

"By transfer they meant that they would start selling the less profitable away to make space for money makers, not simply just moving to other branches. They had already closed down a couple in district five and eight. More would follow if things continue the way they are."

"Wait, what? Since when.." Lavi stopped in his tracks, startled by the news.

"I heard from Link that they planned to give the whole of _Kochou-Kan_ to them wrapped in ribbons and flowery wrappers, just so that they could minimize the loss."

"That's strange, the girls there don't offer bodies-"

"They would now. As the earnings weren't up to standard, the heads are selling them. Who knows what the other side would make them do? Bak is distraught."

Impending darkness quickly caught up with the redhead as he comprehended the future of the songstresses in the sister building.

"We..what would _Bara_ do?"

They were getting close to the kitchen where cheery, well-breakfasted colleagues were starting to fill the brightly-lit corridor. They all had no idea.

Komui wistfully glanced at the joyous scene that they were all so accustomed to, and his eyes started to brim red.

"Their wish is our command."

* * *

><p>AN: Hnnnn..Not feeling very well these days. Ahhh remember to review if you can so that I know how you guys think of it x3

_Kochou-Kan- _Nightingale Pavilion. Sister branch of _Bara, _also located in first district. Basically a restaurant-entertainment place where the girls only sell their voices and not bodies.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: My sister made a very thick oatmeal cereal drink for me..

Oh and this is a christmas gift for all my readers =D an extra early chapter!

Plus some lime milk shake..

* * *

><p>Monochrome Butterfly<p>

Chapter3-Flutter

❀Wake, butterfly-

It's late, we've miles

To go together. -Matsu Basho❀

* * *

><p>…<p>

Why was he here?

Sold..again?

Allen cried out in frustration as he clutched a rusty railing barring him from his freedom- with the alien, reddish scaled hand that landed him here in this place.

The place was dank, dirty. Littered with residue of snacks and trash, smelling of sweat and despair. There was hardly any ventilation in the cage as the boy gasped for breath, making himself as small as possible in desperate attempt to become invisible.

Crowds of faceless people drifted in mockery, laughing.

He did not like this.

He was scared.

Someone took a stick and struck at the bars of the cage, creating a loud, chilling resonance that crawled its way deep into his bones.

More noise; more fear.

And a white-gloved hand grabbed for him.

"..stay away…no…" They were getting closer, darker. Looming figures over him now, growing dark tendrils..wrapping him in..

"Get off me!"

Allen screamed and flinched from something brushing his face, and sat up abruptly. Chest heaving with deep gasps of fear, he took moments to realized he was not in the show cage anymore. It was just a nightmare; albeit a recurring one, happening so often that he wondered why he hand't got used to it yet.

But he was free now.

Allen sighed in small relief.

"What the hell are you screaming in my ear for?" Dark locks of hair slid off the bed as an exquisite face turned and glared at him. Allen realized that he was resting on a soft bed..since when?

"Ah..sorry."

Kanda's frown ceased a minuscule fraction as Allen looked down apologetically, puzzled by the sudden change of environment.

"Eh-what?Wait! What did you do to me?"

The Japanese's slim eyebrows quickly creased once more as the boy scrambled to clutch _his -_Kanda's- clothes around him, behaving very much as if the elder man had taken advantage of him in his sleep.

Though Kanda definitely had to admit that any lesser man of unworthy integrity might had done so as the loose Yukata had indeed fallen off the boy's slender frame in his sleep; it was partially his fault for being too lazy to tie a belt around the clothing earlier.

And the boy did have a tempting body even if he looked a tad grimy, he had realized.

"I brought you back from the attic and saved you from becoming a frozen sprout," Affronted by Allen's implication, Kanda bristled and without a second's thought clambered onto the bed and pinned the boy to the wall, a hand on each side of his head. "Plus, you're here to sell your body, what are you so worried about? Che."

"I..but.." Their faces were so close that Allen could feel the other's cool breath on his skin, and he didn't dare look up, choosing to focus on the overlapping folds of Kanda's clothing.

Unfortunately for him, it was rather disheveled and Allen could easily see the strong chest within.

And of all things, he couldn't recall what happened but he could clearly remember how warm it was..

"Well, _what_ are you so worried about?" Noticing that the boy seemed to be mesmerized by his body, Kanda shifted lower so that his head was level with Allen's. The boy swallowed at the suggestive smile on the Japanese's face. "Or is it that you have never done it before?"

"..ah.." A fierce flush broke out on the usually pale complexion and Allen quickly looked away; and for the first time Kanda observed the boy's face properly up close, he noticed a rather dark scar tracing from Allen's left brow right down to his cheek beneath the dirt.

"Of..of course I had!" The absurd statement was blurted out before Allen really thought of it, and the Japanese smirked in amusement.

"Oh? Then you shouldn't mind if.." Letting the statement trail off suggestively, he leaned closer to the boy, and paused just a hair's breadth from Allen's lips. "Its okay, right? Since you had already tried it before."

Allen couldn't help inhaling a soft, sweet scent that bloomed from the other body leaning so closely to him. Then he started regretting his words. He was torn between admitting that he had never been touched before and face humiliation by the taunting man, or just agree and go along..and still get found out afterward, at any rate.

The boy squirmed and backed closer to the wall, till it was impossible to retreat any further. Kanda continued appraising him with his dark, intense stare and kept the close distance easily. Tips of Kanda's raven hair tickled the boy's exposed bare thigh.

The pink shade dusting Allen's cheeks gained a deeper glow.

"Uhm..its just that.."

Kanda gaped in surprise as the boy stopped in mid-sentence and passed out in dead faint, head lolling to fall on his left wrist.

"Moyashi?"

Stunned wordless, he tilted his head to see the fainted boy better, tapping Allen's cheek with his free hand; then he was abruptly reminded that the boy had a fever.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Yuu what are you doing?"<p>

"Che. Why are you here?" Without bothering to turn around, Kanda cursed and let the unconscious boy rest by his side. He had forgotten to bolt the door, being so exhausted earlier. "Get out."

"What did you do to him?" Starting to cry as if someone died, Lavi hastily left a tray of food on the single simple table in the room and charged right up next to the annoyed Japanese. "Allen? Allen! Did Yuu bully you? Did he kill you?"

_Damn drama queen._

Hissing irritatedly, Kanda grit his teeth and forcibly kicked the other man off the mattress. "Get off, moron. He had just passed out."

"Why?"

"He..its none of your business."

_He couldn't take my teasing, that's what it was. Stupid kid._

Training a straight glare on the worrying redhead, Kanda pulled a blanket over Allen.

_I wouldn't have touched him anyway, he'll probably pass his stupidity to me. Che._

"What do you want?" The brusque question was thrown directly at Lavi, but he bore the sharpness with ease of practice.

"I brought you breakfast?" He motioned toward the tray he left on the table.

Something in Lavi's eye told Kanda there was more.

"And?"

"Uhm.."

Knowing that the news he was about to bring his surly friend may mean a certain murder in the house, Lavi attempted to phrase his words carefully but couldn't find a way to say it safely. It was unusual for the usually glib man to be so lost for words.

Komui had to hate him for making him deliver such messages.

"Its..uh.."

"Just spit it out, you look constipated."

He should just get to the point.

"Your _Mizuage._ Komui says he couldn't hold it off any longer."

* * *

><p>Allen risked a peek beneath his lashes as he laid behind Kanda. Pretending to faint had saved him a couple of times from the brutal lashings he suffered in his earlier life. It came as a handy skill, plus cheating at a multitude of stuff. He had to admit to himself that he was not the most honest person on the world, but it did help him survive.<p>

That situation earlier had to be bordering on danger; either on his body or his pride, so no regrets.

_Mizuage? What was that?_

Even he could sense the tense atmosphere the moment that word was uttered, and Allen instinctively wiggled a millimeter away from his room mate while trying hard not to be detected. The mood was teetering on murderous.

Lavi seemed to be holding his breath as he awaited a reaction, his eyes darting towards the door more frequently than ever. Kanda froze in place, being the source of the very dangerous atmosphere itself.

Other than that, time might had paused for all except Allen.

That foreign word had a familiar ring to the boy as he tried to remember what it meant. He was pretty sure it was mentioned during Komui's brief..

"I missed the period for mine. So forget it." The agitation could easily be heard in Kanda's voice as he growled between his teeth. "Don't bring it up again."

"You were allowed to put it off last time because clients still come to see you, even if they can only see. They won't be doing so any longer."

Kanda shifted a fraction and leaned towards Lavi in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Have you heard of _Dark Eden_? They are stealing our customers."

_Dark Eden?_

Allen shivered at the name, and it was not from the cold caused by his fever. It had an unpleasant ring to it, and even the title itself seemed to beckon him to something sinister..

"That sleazy sex shop? What of it?" Crossing his arms stubbornly, Kanda straightened up again and seemed ready to end the topic. "They can go ahead and try. Like hell I would start begging people to come for me."

"They are already trying!"

Lavi seemed ready to despair as he pleaded with the Japanese, and Allen started to feel the urgency of the situation; even if he couldn't quite catch the details. He quietly turned his head so that an ear faced the others and could hear properly.

"Yuu, you are the only chance we could attract a large enough crowd back to us! So many people had been waiting for so long, and you had delayed it for months.."

"Continue waiting then."

"If you join the ranks, it may bring _Bara's_ popularity right up!"

"Nope. I don't care." Kanda looked away from Lavi and stared suspiciously at the eavesdropping boy.

"So many people are waiting for you!"

"They can all screw themselves. I'm not going to have it."

"Even us? Are you telling all of us to screw ourselves?" Looking hurt, Lavi recoiled from his friend's curt attitude and stepped back, eyeing Kanda with disbelief. "Komui had been covering you up for so long.."

"And may not know this, but I became _Kagema_ at that time so I could fill in for you. So that you need not force yourself."

Despite having his face squashed into a soft pillow and not being able to see any of the happenings around him, Allen could feel a change of mood, and even with his fuzzy memory of the definition he could now quite piece out what the word meant.

"Che. Get out."

Unceremoniously ending the conversation, Kanda turned back to the red-haired man. He made sure to lock the door after shoving the annoyance out.

"Please consider it!" Lavi's muffled voice continued to appeal from outside. "Komui reckoned its best to have it within the week, before its too late. You know what would happen if _Barayakata_ under performs..and we are cutting it really close. Yuu."

"Just go away."

* * *

><p>Allen's eyes popped open the moment Kanda left the room, minutes after making sure Lavi had left them alone for real. Stomach rumbling like a demonic beast, he swiftly hopped down the bed and headed for the steaming tray of food; remarkably agile for someone ill.<p>

Stabbing three dumplings at once with a chopstick, he started to mull over the latest information as he chewed slowly in thought.

_Mizuage..coming of age?_

Kanda had delayed it till now, and seemed rather unhappy to be forced into work. Lavi had helped him out the last time..

After picking up several pieces of fried-looking stuff and deciding that he liked it, the boy shoved the whole plate into his mouth at once and crossed his arms in deep thought.

The idea of Kanda..working.

He remembered the sharp eyes that pierced him from their first meeting, and the warmth that saved him from freezing in the attic. Allen quickly decided he didn't like the idea very much.

_"Not a chance, any of us, not a chance. You can bet that once he's willing to go through his Mizuage half the city would be lining up for him. Princess Yuu, I would be too. If he wants to, that's the thing." _

Lavi's statement swam through Allen's head and the boy pictured whole lines of men and women queueing up to touch the warm body that twice protected him, and he reached for a bowl of dark soup bringing it to his lips..

"Urgh what in the name of.."

Allen hurriedly spat the soy sauce out, but he had gulped a full mouth.

At the very moment of his cry, a loud bang issued from the door and Allen heard another gruff curse from the other side.

Having locked the door behind him upon leaving, Kanda found the bolt unyielding as he struggled with the key. The few precious seconds which was spent with him kicking the door, Allen briskly retreated back to the bunk and huddled against the wall. His head spun for moments at the rapid action, but at least he was partially full.

He had no idea why he wanted to continue the pretense, but it did seem like a safer option.

"Che, that damn rabbit did ruin my stupid door."

With an extra-violent kick, the door gave and Kanda strode back to his territory. He was about to throw a new load of clothes and a washing towel to his lone table when he realized the servings on the food tray seemed rather dismal, not quite the cook's style. With a suspicious growl, he turned and surveyed the boy's silhouette. It seemed mighty different than when he left him before.

"Hmm?"

Eyes darting between the boy and the partially cleaned-out tray, Kanda's eyes narrowed when he noticed a crumb lying by the table.

His tempura.

A crumb.

Damn, stupid, newbie, moronic bean sprout.

He would teach him to steal _his_ food.

* * *

><p>Letting his fury simmer into a low boil, images of <em>his<em> tempura, the pumpkin, lotus root and prawns going down the other boy's throat taunted Kanda as he slowly strode up to the boy on his bed.

Allen squeezed his eyes shut as he felt a warm hand stroke his cheek, and tilt his head away from the wall.

Hanging on to the pretense of unconsciousness, he went limp and allowed the movement.

_Still pretending?_

"Che. I'll see how long you can hold it out."

Murmuring vindictively under his breath, Kanda slipped his hand under Allen's Yukata and traced a short line across his upper thigh.

A small, electrifying sensation coursed through Allen the moment their skin touched; and it was all he could do to keep himself from flinching.

_Not enough?_

With a thoughtful smirk he leaned over Allen; his hair cascading in locks over the boy.

Before Allen could comprehend the other's actions, their lips met.

Whilst Allen's brain stopped functioning at the moment, a tongue swiftly approached and licked a crumb off his own lips.

He had not began to fully function when Kanda pushed away, and it was over.

"No use acting anymore. You ate my pumpkin didn't you?"

Allen grimaced as he peeked under his lashes and saw Kanda glaring frozen daggers at him. Upon seeing a dark aura blooming like great thunderclouds over the other man, he briefly considered fainting again.

Unfortunately for him he felt much better after food and couldn't pull off the frailty as convincingly anymore.

"What pumpkin?I only ate what Lavi brought in!" Deciding that avoiding wouldn't help his situation, Allen rebutted strongly against the other, sitting up so they were level.

"And you ate my share, and my pumpkin, stupid sprout."

Allen found himself unable to look away from Kanda's furious stare the moment their eyes met and they glared deeply at each other; sparks could have ignited from the intensity and burned the whole building down. "I didn't see any pumpkin anyway! What's your problem?"

"You ate everything without looking at them. There was pumpkin, I'm sure Jerry would have left me some."

"I..ah.." Eyes falling away from Kanda's annoyed features towards the tray on the table, Allen realized that indeed, all that was left was a plate of noodles and half a cup of sauce.

A minuscule sense of guilt started chewing its way up his own indignant temper.

"I didn't mean to, okay?"

"But you did it anyway." Kanda stared ruthlessly at the wincing boy and poked his chest with a slim finger. "And guess what? They ration everything here, and I'm going hungry again till the night. Thanks to you. Also, I skipped dinner last night because of you too, and we both missed breakfast. Thus its not okay."

Towards the end of his statement he jabbed the smaller frame between every word as a forceful punctuation. "Stupid Bean sprout."

"I'm not a bean sprout!"

"You are, and one hell of a weed sprout it is. How are you going to pay me back for it?"

Paying back. It was a phrase Allen feared, as owing usually meant that he would be in debt forever, always sinking deeper; he had no means to pay anything off. Even if it was just a few meals, owing his irate room mate anything was simply too much to bear; especially if he had to see each other everyday.

"I..I'll stand in for you."

"What?"

"I'll take the courtesan slot for you, and work..join Lavi."

Kanda paused in confusion as he attempted to understand Allen's statement. "You mean, for a lunch you're willing to sell yourself three years in advance?"

Something snapped in him and Kanda found himself grabbing the boy's shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "Are you crazy?"

"N..no. I just don't want to owe people, and this is the only way I can repay you. And you saved my life."

It took moments for Kanda to realize he was referring to the incident in the attic.

"That reminds me, why were you even up there anyway? I let you come in and you decided to freeze yourself in the attic?"

"I got lost.." Allen struggled with himself as he considered telling Kanda that it was in fact, looking for him that got him lost in the first place. He decided that presenting himself like a lost puppy wouldn't help his image at all. "I needed the toilet."

"Che. You took the wrong turn, its left, not right out of this end." Seemingly regretting his own outburst, the elder teen removed his hands from the boy's shoulders and crossed them in lack of things for them to do. "Stupid."

"Do you really know what you're agreeing to?"

Allen nodded his head, and started to wonder _what_ had him gotten himself into for real. Lavi had not seemed too worried by 'the job' so it shouldn't be that bad.

"You're willing to lose your first time to a total stranger?"

The boy shrugged and braked the action a second too late.

"I knew it." Kanda's knowing smirk was almost too much for Allen to bear, and he resisted an urge to burrow himself somewhere; anywhere. "You don't know what you're getting into. I'm not letting you go, and you owe me three favors now."

"Wait, since when-"

"One for saving you from becoming a popsicle," A solitary finger was held up onto Allen's face keeping count.

"Another for the starvation," Kanda fixed his eyes on the boy and forcefully pinched a cheek.

"Plus one more for saving you from getting raped as your first time. Idiot."

"And if you are not going to move I'm going to add one more for depraving me of my bath, and dirtying my room further with your stink."

* * *

><p>Allen found himself relieved when Kanda made him wait outside a small bathroom reasonably close to their bunk for his turn. He had been imaging at least a rather public bath, or even worse having to go out to find a bath house from what he had experienced since arriving at the country. It seemed pretty rare for buildings to have private baths-<em>Furo, <em>Kanda told him that's what they were called- but he was not complaining. The boy was not comfortable with showing his body; especially his strange arm, or scars, to anyone.

Yet he found a small, unreasonable sense of loss creeping around as he listened to the splashing noises just a few meters away.

Especially when he remembered Kanda's impatient explanation telling him that the brothel only made such rooms in the building because customers seemed to favor washing up inside, and sometimes the serving _Kagema_ would follow them in...

"Make it a fast one stupid sprout." The sounds stopped before Allen could convince himself it was not because he couldn't see Kanda shower -the argument being that he was straight, despite being sent to a gay brothel- and the subject of his self-debate stepped out of the steamy room.

The sight of water droplets dripping off the long, silken hair and lightly tanned skin sent all of his excuses flying out of the window. A fluffy towel slung low on the man's hips as he fumbled irritatedly with the bundle of clothes that seemed to have tangled themselves up.

"What are you looking at? Get in!"

"Ah..ok."Snapping out of his captivation, Allen scooted into the bathroom before Kanda could shove him in. Closing the door behind him, Allen took a few moments to calm his scampering heart.

_Its probably the fever._

Allen hoped that it was so, anyway.

The simple bathroom was furnished with a wooden tub of steaming water and a couple of stools. Floors protected by stone tiles, water drained away to a modest gap at the back.

"Che, I'm not going to wait for you, its probably going to take years for you to get rid of all that grime."

Slight panic struck Allen at the thought of being left alone, but he could quite remember the way back. Thus he settled himself down with small confidence that he wouldn't be lost.

"I'll go find Komui to discuss..something. Get back to the room yourself when you're done."

After a few riled seconds, the Japanese teen seemed to finally finish dressing himself, and left.

Allen didn't know what to make of the abrupt abandonment, but decided he could survive without his surly room mate; even if he had been fully relying on him for the past few hours.

He hadn't realized how much dirt and grime had accumulated on him on his journey until Allen stripped off the borrowed Yukata and found dried smudges of mud all over him. The rain and nights of using the earth as his bed had done its work in reducing him into a mucky wraith.

Moreover, he couldn't remember when was the last time he had a proper bath, not counting the quick brushings in freezing streams when he couldn't take the stickiness anymore. Even his hair seemed to have a muddy tint as he pulled his short locks free of dried up clay.

Deciding to make the best of his time, the boy quickly gave himself a quick rinse, and scrubbed himself down using a cake of soap that reminded him of Kanda's scent. After deeming himself clean enough, he jumped into the tub with anticipation and moaned when the warm water enveloped him up to his chin.

So much tension; the water gently drew the aches away from his body. It was the best Allen felt for as long as he could remember.

With the oncoming ease, Allen found it much simpler to comprehend his thoughts and an immediate question returned to his mind. He had been questioning his own sexuality; and found no answers.

It was a very tough question.

To be honest with himself, Allen couldn't remember a time that he had been genuinely interested in a girl; and all of his precious few friends were boys or men. His expertise with the other gender had indeed, been virtually nothing.

But does he _like_ men _that_ way?

Allen couldn't find an solution, even in his relaxed state. He couldn't even fathom what it was like to be romantically interested in someone.

_The fever had probably destroyed my brain._

Brooding over the issue, and at the forlorn outlook of finally landing himself in a brothel, the boy sulked and sunk his face further into the tub, so that only his eyes peeked over the level top like a crocodile.

_What am I..going to do from now on?_

It was yet another question that he could never answer. The chains of debt had always dragged him from one place to another, and Allen supposed miserably that he would have to just repay with whatever he could and get traded off again when he had no value..just like the countless times before.

* * *

><p>The conversation with Komui had been pointless, exasperating even, and Kanda left the office in a temper; but not before agreeing begrudgingly to the begging supervisor of his request.<p>

All of the supervisor's reasons had been the same as Lavi's and even Kanda found himself admitting that he had to stop being stubborn. He had to go through the ceremony and start offering himself.

He hated admitting that he was wrong.

A sour feeling engulfed him from the moment he murmured a begrudging "Okay", and it continued eating at him after he left.

Kanda strode crossly back to his room and found the door locked, once again.

Even though it had always been his habit to lock after himself, he found himself indignantly surprised that the _Moyashi_ had barred his way from his own room.

He knocked once, and stopped, feeling rather strange that he had to request to get into his own room.

"Open the door bean sprout, who said you could lock the door?"

Still quietness met the teen.

"Wake up! Open the door!"

He irritatedly tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for the boy to respond, reasoning that he could had fallen asleep.

_Or is he ignoring me on purpose?_

"_Baka Moyashi,_ unlock this stupid block of wood right now or I would drop you off the roof when I get you."

Silence continued, and Kanda began to feel foolish for threatening the door. It did seem that he had been conversing with the inanimate object.

_It couldn't be.._

Shaking his head at the thought, Kanda argued with himself that nobody, no matter how stupid, would have kept themselves in the steamy, humid bathroom for the solid hour he had spent disputing with the supervisor.

Yet you can never know.

What if the boy had passed out in the bath, for real?

What if he drowned himself in the tub?

Feeling involuntarily liable if anything happened to the stupid boy, Kanda found himself racing to the shower and charging right through the door, without questions or remorse.

A limp head of white hair confirmed his worst suspicions.

"_Baka Moyashi_! Are you stupid?" Prodding Allen's head urgently, the panicked teen became alarmed when said boy failed to respond. "Get out of here!"

* * *

><p>Allen found himself dreaming once again, but it was a very nice and comfortable dream.<p>

He was floating in the air; clouds gently tickled him as he swam through the maze of curious shapes.

Beside him was a familiar silhouette that he vaguely remembered from his childhood, before the trails of slavery..

"Don't stop.."

"I would keep walking, father."

They continued the endless journey together, Allen staring fixedly at his adoptive father's face. He had missed him so..

No, this should be the reality. He had never sold himself to give Mana a decent burial; his master had never scarred his face, or branded him with the mark of a slave. It had been all a bad dream.

For a short while, Allen convinced himself that he was still free, and normal.

Yet, it started to get suffocatingly warm and humid. The clouds started to rain, drenching him with uncomfortably hot water.

Mana started to drown..

Allen stared in hopeless horror as the beloved face got swallowed up by dark, bubbling waters.

Even as he vanished, a resounding echo of his father's grieved last words haunted him.

"Don't stop.."

Before a tear could even fall, Allen fell.

Sharks swarming the black ocean ripped his clothes off, and would soon rip him apart..

And a beautiful figure appeared, and the predators vanished.

Nothing else mattered anymore..

* * *

><p>"<em>Moyashi!<em>OI!"

Allen's grey eyes drowsily fluttered open and stared at a worried face poring over his.

Was he still dreaming?

Dark locks of hair tickled Allen's face as Kanda stood over the boy, calling him an assorted array of names to jolt him back to his senses. He had been on the point of considering CPR, but remembered that Allen had not drowned in the water.

_I'm..back in my room?_

Logic slowly kicked in as Allen watched Kanda's fluster with mild amusement, and gradually realized he was worried about him.

And that he was spread out mother naked on the bed.

"Ah..wha…"

The deepest blush Allen's pale complexion could manage bloomed its way onto his face and Allen stared at the Japanese hovering above him, stunned for words.

"What? I had no idea if I should dress you or let the heat spread off by itself, so I picked the easier option."

Allen couldn't tell if the other boy was amused or irritated; Kanda's expressions were very hard to distinguish. Sense finally kicked in and Allen hurriedly tugged his clothes on.

"Ah..how am I supposed to.." Holding up a piece of fabric that he gathered should be the belt that secures the Yukata around him, Allen resisted the urge to look at Kanda for help.

"You're so hopeless." The eye roll could be easily heard from the Japanese's tone as he grabbed the obi and tugged it around the boy, the motion making him pseudo-hug Allen.

Allen squeezed his thighs together, remembering that he had lost his underwear earlier. He couldn't find a replacement in the change of clothes Kanda brought.

"The..the ceremony, you went to talk to Komui about it?" Desperate for topic to distract himself from Kanda's movements against his body as he struggled with the tie, Allen grabbed at the first subject that came to his mind.

"Yeah. No point pushing it since I can't get out of it anyway." Tying a neat knot at the back, Kanda sat back to admire his handiwork. "They would spend one day announcing it, and I'll be up for grabs the day after."

* * *

><p>AN: Merry Christmas! Finished it right on the spot, I feel so accomplished x3 Here's a cookie for everyone! Thanks to all that reviewed! I would love it very much if I get some reviews as presents..-shameless hint-

Oh and I do feel that its time for lemon, though _Usagi_ seems to be very eager to be on the show first.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Didn't get much reviews D: but its okay I hit 12! :D

-spoiler-

Oh and as a warning this chapter contains light TykixLavi, those that don't enjoy this pairing don't worry this fic is still mainly Yullen, but a brothel fic can't only have one pairing :) If its too hated just tell me though I'll cut down on it, but if you guys want tell me if you want their lemons :D

And uh, this chapter sorta jumps scenes but I need to get the characters smolesting/s meeting each other, pardon me! :x But its a bit longer than usual, take it as a valentines gift from me, I love you all! _lessthanthree_

-endspoiler-

* * *

><p>Monochrome Butterfly<p>

Chapter4- Drizzling Spring

❀A cold rain starting  
>And no hat -<br>So?.-Matsu Basho❀

* * *

><p>"Give me a couple of..whatever that is, please."<p>

The busty stall owner stared adoringly at the handsome stranger, not quite taking in the request. A courteous cough from said man snapped her out of her trance and she hurriedly handed a box of snacks over.

"This sweet is called Dango, you must be a tourist?" Fluttering her eyelashes shamelessly, the woman leered and leaned across the bar. "Mister..ah-"

With a polite smile, the tall man tipped his top hat and left without waiting for the woman to finish.

Not that the woman minded as she swooned at his backview when he left, completely ignoring her two sons, noisily pulling at her sleeve trying to remind her that the customer had not paid up.

* * *

><p>Tyki rattled the box as he wondered if Rhode would finally be satisfied with the foreign sweet-looking thing he had found her. Probably not. In fact, impossible. An unfortunately bratty streak had made his non-blood-related niece unbearably unruly and demanding; made worse as she was not allowed to leave Dark Eden, their new home ever since arriving at this new place.<p>

Just in case that she caused trouble enough to ruin the place's reputation, like she helped with the last place, or so he heard.

And there's the grounding her stepdad -his brother- gave her on top of that, for organizing a scandalous 'party' with various young boys and girls right on the day she moved in.

But of all things, the Earl had given him the responsibility of looking after the fourteen year old on top of his scouting assignment, _on top_ of his slut job.

Responsibilities be damned.

He hadn't minded sleeping around, and the money was just a bonus. Scouting was alright since it allowed him to move around more freely than the others.

But _why_ must he take care of the girl? She could very well take care of herself.

Making a disgusted noise as some of the sweet sauce started to spill out of the container, Tyki wrung his hand from it and left it by a homeless tramp. Now that he had spoiled it Rhode probably wouldn't want it anymore. He had to look for something else.

Removing his stained glove, Tyki aimlessly looked around for things of interest.

His eyes fell on a freshly affixed sheet on a grubby wall that announced the initiation bid of a new courtesan, boasting of said person's beauty.

"Hmm?"

_Barayakata, Rose Mansion?_

He barely needed to hunt for the building as it was just across the street, and admittedly he had passed it a couple of times more than strictly necessary.

It was easily the brightest and most glamorous of the whole district, but Tyki scoffed.

_Just another prettied up whorehouse._

Sneering at the thought, the Portuguese straightened his tie. Striding past several workers putting those announcements up, and headed right into the glowing entrance.

* * *

><p>Lavi was slacking, but in a self-proclaimed smart way. He had mastered the knack of loitering at the entrance whilst semi-reading a book and looking up at the street in intervals, seemingly hard at work. It made people think he was juggling studying under Bookman's tutorship while attracting customers at the same time.<p>

That is, what they think. And saying anymore stretches truth to breaking point.

To the outside district they would hardly be able to spot the redhead idling cleverly by the cluster of tall ornamental plants in the lobby, yet he had distanced himself enough from the shield to avoid suspicion by the staff.

He had even picked an earth-toned outfit for the day, so that he blended well to the wall easily avoiding undesirable attention.

Even if unwanted people had came in and requested him by name, he also had a well thought out escape; a staff-only shortcut to the kitchens, conveniently located to the left of his back. Stomach excuses always work.

The book of the day was a French romance novel, slightly worn and bought cheaply off a foreign trader at the market. Needless to say he had made sure it was an unknown language to all of his coworkers, so he could easily bluff it off as business analysis, financial economics, things of that sort.

He simply had to keep it out of Bookman's sight, and it could be quite easily achieved if he stayed on the far side of his teacher's counter, where he knew would be a blind spot.

Marveling at his own ingenuity, Lavi chuckled and leaned lazily against the wood-paneled wall.

If he ever had any trouble in his flawless plan, it has to be mastering a poker face while reading, especially if the book happened to be full of erotism like that exact moment.

Lavi had never quite managed a straight face in such situations, but fortunately for him his coworkers took it that he was making cute faces at the passersby, hence doing his job.

Even Krory and Daisya marveled at his professionalism sometimes.

Yet on _other_ times, it just simply had the side effect of getting him too unbearably horny; it was awkward trying to contain the growing reaction between his legs as he turned away from the audience.

Particularly when a tall, fine featured gentleman sauntered in, glancing curiously around just as Lavi looked up to check if anyone noticed him. He couldn't help quivering a little as he watched from his corner.

It was as if the lead of his novel had walked out of the book and came for him. Shivering at the thought, Lavi noticed that the man even had a mole under his eye, carrying himself with the air of an European aristocrat.

Right on the spot.

Too late for him to change his mind now, the teen was starting to act on instinct. It didn't matter much anyway, he had to take a customer sooner or later.

The particular area that Lavi occupied had the advantage of giving him easy access to customers of his liking when they wandered to Bookman's counter for requests.

To his delight, neither Link nor Krory advanced on the newcomer. The stoic blonde would never approach visitors by his own, and Krory seemed to be rather intimidated by the man.

The redhead neatly slipped his book into the folds of his clothes and checked his attire, rising from his spot.

This one would satisfy him, Lavi thought, and he swiped his tongue across his lips.

* * *

><p>Tyki had took in everything about the <em>Mansion <em>from exterior to interior, and agreed that it indeed couldn't be called anything else, its purpose aside.

It was grand, rich and beautiful, but withheld a sense of homeliness just like its name.

The staff seemed very comfortable with each other as he watched the well-built bouncer converse lightly with their courtesan, like old friends..or even family.

That would never happen at his place.

Not much before someone gets killed.

He brushed that morbid thought away. If there was anything he didn't get fully comfortable with his home no matter how long he stayed there, it was that dark, feral undertone. Part of him couldn't bring himself to like it, even though it was an asserted fact that he's a sadist.

He felt very contradicting.

On closer inspection, some similarities do hold with his home and here; they, too, stationed some members -_bait_, Tyki called them- at the front entrance for weak-willed bystanders, attracting business.

Scrutinizing the couple of faces there, he decided that they wouldn't quite match himself; he haughtily headed deeper into the building towards a niche where a solemn old man watched his every move.

"Hey, looking for somewhere to spend the night?"

A hand slid easily around his arm and Tyki looked back in surprise to see a face he had not spotted earlier.

This one seemed to had lost an eye, but it had not taken away the beauty of the other. It watched intelligently with a rich shade of emerald, and a certain intriguing quality smoldered beneath.

That, and the flaming auburn hair that made Tyki wonder how had he missed the boy earlier.

Lost eye aside, Tyki found himself impressed by the impressive charisma radiating from the red-haired teen.

Grinning cheekily, Lavi snaked his arm tighter around the man's under Bookman's nonchalant gaze and led him towards the stairs.

"I'll be nice, come on!"

* * *

><p>"Ah, Lavi!" Allen called out when he saw his red-haired friend dragging a tall stranger along the passageway. Refusing to acknowledge Lavi's existence, Kanda 'che'ed and turned back to the direction where he and Allen came from.<p>

"Nice to meet you." Allen greeted the stranger politely when he caught up with them.

"Same for you, _shounen._"

"You do look good in a Yukata." Cheerily messing up Allen's hair, Lavi smiled apologetically at the man and carefully felt the boy's forehead. "Are you feeling better now?"

Allen energetically bounced his head in answer. "Yeah thanks to Kanda-eh?"

Kanda's coldly retreating figure turned a corner back to their room just as Allen looked back and realized the departure. "Bakanda! Where are you going?"

"Uhm.."

"You better go ahead and catch him."

"I'll see you later Lavi!"

Hastily bowing to his friend and the tall man as farewell, the boy sped off to the corner where he last saw his room mate. "Wait for me!"

"Where are you going I thought you said you'll show me around the district-"

"Yes, so that you wouldn't get lost. But the main thing is you're going to help me carry Jerry's groceries. Che." Kanda leaned against the wall right around the corner he disappeared to, startling Allen as he spoke.

Allen skidded and almost tripped over himself.

"Yeah we're going, but we'll let _Baka Usagi_ go on first. Its awkward."

"_Baka Usagi?_"

"It means stupid rabbit, stupid. And where did you pick up _Bakanda_, _baka moyashi_?"

The atmosphere positively took a demonic aura the moment Kanda threw back the question.

"From you, _Bakanda._" The white haired boy matched the aura with his own as he glared back at the Japanese. "You're the one who started calling me that. I figured as much."

Crossing his arms, Allen mimicked Kanda's haughty pose with much accuracy and stuck his tongue out. "And it goes with you, _Bakanda. _And my name's Allen."

"Same thing. You're still stupid no matter what I call you, _Baka Moyashi. _Stop that. Its annoying._"_

"Its Allen, _Bakanda_."

Growling irritatedly, Kanda flicked a straying lock of hair from his face and pinched the boy's face, making him put back his stuck-out tongue. "I said, stop it."

"Che. I think Lavi had went in, time to go." Brushing off Allen's infuriation, Kanda began to walk out as if nothing has happened. "Idiot."

"Where did he go? Why did you avoid him?" Jogging to keep up with the taller man's longer strides, Allen questioned and looked around for Lavi and his friend.

"You were interrupting his work, stupid. It said it was aukward didn't I?"

"Work?"

When the elder teen seemed rather reluctant to elaborate, Allen felt the need to pester him incessantly for more information, being rather curious at nature. Irritating Kanda seemed to make him feel more energetic, though that fact was not consciously conceived.

"Kanda, what work?"

The dark haired one definitely could feel a migraine coming up though.

Sighing with impatience, Kanda kicked open the side exit that Allen first entered by, which led back to a dim alley.

"What work?"

Having been consistently annoyed through their whole trip downstairs, he finally decided he couldn't endure it anymore. There was still the trip and the boy seemed rather stubborn; possibly on a level to match the crazy rabbit.

Maybe.

Slinking out of the alleyway, the elder one murmured under his breath. "You seem to forget where we are. That was a client of his, and you were breaking his pace."

Slow realization dawned on the boy as he became aware that it was not a friend who was with Lavi earlier, but someone who paid for him..

"Oh." Trailing absent-mindedly after Kanda, he stepped out to the busy district once again; not as a homeless orphan anymore, but a property of the grand building behind him. "They..he..will do it?"

"A stupid question by a stupid person. Of course." Rubbing his temple in a way that reminded himself of the supervisor, Kanda grabbed Allen's wrist and headed towards the busier part of town. "We're going to buy Jerry's groceries, and trade the favor for extra dinner later."

"You'll also do that kind of work after your ceremony?"

"Yeah." The Japanese seemed to stiffen ever so slightly at the mention of his oncoming burden but Allen failed to catch the reaction, having his attention attracted to a stall tended by a heavy-set woman and two children. The light-colored round things drenched in sauce seemed to beckon deliciously to him, glistening beautifully under the late afternoon light.

"What is the ceremony like?"

"You have a lot of questions don't you?" Silence continued lengthily when Kanda paused to pass a list to a loud bustling man, and it continued till he gathered a bunch of vegetables and thrusted them into Kanda's arms. "Bill it to _Bara._"

"Of course. Say hi to Jerry for me."

With a small 'humph' of acknowledgement, Kanda turned to the shorter boy as they retreated from the crowd around the stall.

"Stretch out your hands."

Allen obediently did as he was told and had the whole bulk of greens dumped into his arms.

"This is the market." Looking pointedly at where they had came from, Kanda started back towards their home building. "We're done."

"Huh? Wait!"

_He calls this showing around?_

Struggling with his load, Allen caught up with his guide and pouted with disappointment.

_No matter, I would get around by myself. Hmph._

After Allen nearly tripped and dropped everything a couple of times, Kanda breathed in exasperation and relieved the boy of half the weight.

"They're fast."

Having his vision cleared of the mountain of veggies, the boy could finally look around with ease and saw a crisp slip of parchment stuck to a wall, at which Kanda studied with an air of mixed emotions. Allen discovered that there were many more of these attached all around; it was a very wide advertisement.

"Its by _Barayakata?_ Our-_"_

_"_Che. You asked what its like? This is the first step."

Allen's eyes widened as he watched crowds of people congregating around the slips as evening shoppers began to arrive. Some even tore the notices off to keep for themselves.

"They're all interested in you?"

"Yeah, and one of them would buy my debut the day after tomorrow."

Kanda's words dripped with acid as he turned back into his dark street, opening the door for Allen once again. "You can have my room to yourself after that. They are transferring someone off after I'm in it."

"That's.." Allen lingered when he entered the now-familiar peach-tinted lighting of the building, and fought a small, welling sense of discomfort.

Dumping everything into the boy's arms again, Kanda closed the door behind him.

"Just don't fall asleep at weird places anymore, I probably can't find you." The Japanese smirked at the boy, reminding him of the numerous times he had to save him within the short period of their meeting.

"And I won't bother to." Adding that rather like an afterthought, Kanda abruptly headed upstairs to their room, leaving Allen fidgeting uneasily at the foot.

He froze right where he was as he listened to the light footsteps on wood, gradually fading.

"But that's just..

"..So fast…"

He didn't feel quite like going up to face Kanda in the quietness of their room, so Allen decided to do some exploring before dinner while he sent the goods to the cook.

Furthermore, he felt like being left alone for a while, as he nursed his confused feelings attempting to understand the odd sense of emptiness.

"Why..?" The word was repeated numerously in various synonyms, verbally and mentally, but Allen couldn't even start to grasp his thoughts no matter how long he dwelled on it.

Not quite paying attention to his surroundings, Allen wandered aimlessly for what felt like hours, until he felt his stomach grumbling louder than ever, his arms sagging from the laden weight.

"Is it dinner time?"

Not able to stand it anymore, the boy finally looked up and saw the darkening sky.

At least he could easily find the answer by heading to the kitchens..and deliver the vegetables-

"..Eh?"

Taking in his surroundings, Allen abruptly realized he had no idea where he was.

The passageway opened up to a balcony facing the streets, but he did not recognize the scenery.

He had to had wandered to the opposite side of the great architecture.

"Uhm..that way has to be to the kitchen. The building is not that big!" Convincing himself aloud, Allen picked a direction at random and smartly marched towards it with faith.

* * *

><p>Tyki groaned as he forced himself to wake up, tousled in a mixture of blankets and shaded clothing. The darkening lights outside announced that he had greatly overstayed his intended short-visit.<p>

The Earl would be mad.

Rumpling his dark curls, the man sighed and sat up, taking care to not wake the lightly snoring boy beside him.

He had not even intended to fall asleep before, but it was just..

Slim brows crossed as Tyki berated himself for his carelessness. He had intended to just play around and leave. Not that he was worried or anything, but it would just be troublesome if his side found out he had been giving business to the competitor.

Yet..it had been good.

The boy was skillful, experienced, and wanting. It had not left him unsatisfied; it had been very comfortable coupling with him, as it was rare for Tyki to come across a partner that matched his stamina, and did not make annoying, pig-like noises that he sometimes was confronted with. He had found the warmth afterwards strangely soothing and..fell asleep.

Perhaps it was the stress from moving, Rhode, and all that.

Still very unbecoming for one who prized himself for control over such trivial things.

Lavi slept on as Tyki slid out of the sheets and dressed himself. The boy's lanky silhouette, traced by the cotton blanket, stood out clearly to the man and allowed him to feast on the figure for the last moments before he left. The svelte body had fitted perfectly in his embrace earlier…Tyki felt a switch about to flip inside him, and shook himself out of it.

It was late, he couldn't afford another round.

"This won't be our last meeting, Red."

* * *

><p>"I'm just taking the longer route to the kitchen.." Allen mumbled to himself, and in all honesty hopelessly lost as he trudged tiredly around in circles, going nowhere no matter which route he took. Wondering aloud only made his words taunt himself, and the boy stooped and rested against a wall he seemed to had walked past three times. "But why is it so far?"<p>

"Meow?"

"Why is this building so big?"

"Meooooww?"

"Eh?"

"Mya?" A golden-furred cat tilted its head and stared curiously at Allen as the boy did likewise.

"Since when.." The moment Allen spoke, the cat purred and rubbed itself against his arm like they had known each other for years. "Uhm.."

"Nyan..." The cat sniffed at the raw vegetables and turned disdainfully.

Without any warning, the cat flipped to its side and laid limp. It continued purring lightly, prompting Allen to do something.

Picking up the feline, Allen realized it was rather small and rested comfortably on his palms; probably just a kitten that just left its mother. "Are you hungry?"

His stomach complained loudly, drowning out the golden kitten's replying mewls.

"I am too-"

"Talking to a cat? Has hunger fiddled with your head?"

A hand lightly tapped the boy's head, as if stating the point.

"Ah, no!" Hastily turning around, Allen blushed when he saw the gentleman earlier watching him with a quizzical smile right behind him. He hadn't noticed him earlier.

_Lavi's client..are they done?_

"Uhm, its just.."

"Well you look like you're having fun, I'm leaving now, _Shounen._"

Just as Tyki marched confidently past Allen as if he owned the place, it occurred to the boy that the stranger might know the way out of the maze. Even if he was new to this place.

"I..I'll show you out!" Dropping the newfound cat into the folds of his clothing on his chest, Allen scrambled and caught up with the man, still heaving the tottering pile of groceries.

"Are you sure? You look busy." Glancing pointedly at the raw food, Tyki smirked and went on his way nevertheless. "I remember the way out, thank you very much."

"Its okay! I'll..uhm..accompany you!"

The tiny cat squeaked as Allen shifted the weight onto his chest to balance better, and the boy followed the stranger in relief.

* * *

><p>A neat stack of cash greeted Lavi the moment his eye blinked sleepily open, and to his delight the amount was definitely much, much heftier than anything he had ever received.<p>

It saved him from the panic that he had forgotten to even ask for payment earlier. Some of his coworkers had did so before, and the nasty clients simply left quietly without paying. Some of those cases turned out bad when the _sharks_ caught news of it..

He was very glad as he grabbed the notes and started counting.

But the customer seemed to had left right before he woke up. It created a tiny damper on Lavi's mood, for some reason.

Getting up quickly, Lavi quickly counted the bills; his eye shone with joy as he concluded he would have more than half left over even after he cashed in the brothel's charge. Just about the biggest tip he had ever received.

It must had been a stroke of very good luck for him to meet such a handsome customer at the right time, and for said person to be so generous with tips.

Plus, he was really awesome in bed, and Lavi couldn't lie that he had not enjoyed it. Better than reading any lousy novel.

Leafing greedily through the stack, the redhead rolled to the other side of his bed, which still retained some warmth of the man and he slowly recalled details of their meeting.

"Ah, I forgot to ask his name.." Lavi paused slightly with his filled hands in the air. His body was getting trapped in the wrappings of his clothes and blanket. "Oh well."

Rolling to his side so that his head hung to the floor, Lavi was mooned slightly crestfallenly at his oversight. Something dark caught his eye, and he realized that it did not belong to his room.

"Hmm?" Curiously picking it up, he recognized it as the gentleman's jacket. "Its his.."

Gathering up his clothes and dressing himself properly, Lavi found his eye slipping to the jacket beside the money ever so often, lingering rather hopefully.

_Perhaps he would come back for it._

Today was a great day.

In great moods, the redheaded teen slipped the tips and his crumpled book beneath a certain loose floorboard, and headed out of his room to pass Bookman the payment.

* * *

><p>Kanda didn't now why, but as he was rinsing his hair with water he suddenly had a bad feeling. Having remembered that <em>Moyashi<em> had deprived him of the simple pleasures for two days straight he had chose to take a bath right after returning from the greasy market. Before he started to feel sticky. He hated that feeling.

Bad feelings makes him irate, and having it in a middle of something he _enjoyed _made it way worse. That random premonition ranked way above feeling sticky, and that was _way_ up.

"Che."

Furrowing his brows, the man tried to relax and sunk himself deeper into the warm waters, watching his hair swirl around in dark ribbons. In less than a minute, he gave up.

"Why the hell…I hate this!" Abruptly, he stood up and hopped out of the tub, hair dripping luxuriously onto the floor. He couldn't be bothered with that for now. That horrible feeling..it made Kanda impatient and worried.

Worry, the word he linked with a certain stupid white haired youth.

"What did you do again, idiot?" Annoyed that he couldn't even enjoy his shower in peace, Kanda haphazardly dragged a new changes of clothes on and kept a towel on his shoulders for his wet hair.

"Che, don't let me find you dead somewhere again.."

* * *

><p>The tiny cat jumped violently when Allen sneezed, and it winced when Allen almost dropped everything. It happened so often -trips earlier, and now sneezes- that Tyki had given up counting the near-misses in his head, feigning nonchalance as he sighed.<p>

Offering to help just didn't occur to him. It wasn't quite his nature.

"Ah, I'm sorry..."

"It's-"

Still sniffing, Allen looked down and smiled at the shivering kitten huddled against his chest. It felt very warm and comforting despite their shared hunger.

"I can't keep calling you kitty forever right?"

Tyki halted his words quickly, and he wasn't sure if the boy noticed in his monologue with the _stupid_ cat.

"Are you okay?" He called over his shoulder, but not looking back as Tyki continued striding his way closer to the exit, or not; Allen couldn't tell the difference. They were simply walking with a few feet distance between them as they went, Allen keeping the respectful distance between them, both forgetting that the boy had offered to lead the way earlier.

But they seemed to had been walking for quite some time.

"I'm okay, sorry!"

"..I can call you Tim, right?" Allen added the second statement in a whisper to the cat, who mewled approvingly, or at least Allen thought it looked rather happy.

"Who's Tim?" Tyki murmured under his breath and thought for moments before understanding. His ears were pretty sharp. "Oh, that cat."

"Why the hell are you still here?"

He didn't recognize the second voice, and Tyki had better senses than thinking it was the cat that spoke. It wasn't even a logical reply to the boy's statement. Looking back, he easily masked his surprise that another youth had soundlessly caught up to them and was grabbing Allen's collar, much like an owner would scruff a misbehaved pet.

_So its another..black cat._

"I'm sorry for anything this boy might had done to displease you." Allen stared warily as Kanda did a one-eighty and respectfully bowed an apology, but he swiftly noticed a note of contempt in his voice. Definitely not his imagination, from what he knew of the dark-haired man whose wet hair dripped lightly, tracing the contours of his face.

_Just out of bath?_

"Its okay, he had been entertainment."

At the word 'entertainment', Allen swore he felt something cold and dangerous freeze the atmosphere.

"I'll take him back for disciplinary action, he is slacking off."

At that, Kanda spared a glance for the boy at his side and Allen knew he was serious. He gave a pathetic smile which Kanda scowled at.

The client shrugged and stared curiously at the pair for a second, which Kanda soon returned with narrowed eyes.

"Okay, have fun. Take care, boy."

"We won't be seeing you out, the exit is that way." Pointing out a stairway further back in the corridor they were, Kanda directed Tyki away from the nearer one he was about to take.

Allen almost giggled, seeing the look on the bemused customer's face when their eyes met. So he didn't know the way too.

"Thanks."

"Please come back again." Even Allen could tell that phrase was mechanical; a customary phrase that Kanda sincerely did _not_ mean. In fact, he probably was telling the stranger to fuck off in his head at that very moment.

Either ignoring the curtness or he simply didn't care, Tyki tipped his hat and went his way. "I will."

_This place is interesting. _

* * *

><p>Kanda waited for a full minute for the outsider to depart before finally swiveling back to Allen, grabbing a paper bag off so that he could see the boy's face properly.<p>

"What did you do this time?"

"Wait, I didn't-"

"Why were you stalking that guy?"

"I wasn't-"

"Where we you all this time when I told you to deliver these and go back to my room?"

"You didn't tell me to go back to _our_ room." Shrugging off Kanda's hand on his shoulder, the boy stepped back and frowned.

"I know I did. Don't pout at me, it doesn't work." With his free hand, the elder grabbed Allen's arm and steered him into the stairway he directed Tyki away from. "What did you do?"

Allen wriggled his arm but couldn't get free without dropping anything, and meekly followed Kanda's lead. "I'm not pouting!"

"That's not the point, idiot!" Growling in annoyance, Kanda dropped his pack and pushed Allen against the wall mid-stair. Allen attempted to save the items loaded in his arms but failed miserably.

He felt his face forcefully pushed back to meet Kanda's piercing eyes, the reddish reflection of dim light overhead not helping Allen's sudden uneasiness.

"I'm asking you, what were you doing earlier with idiot rabbit's customer instead of doing what I told you to do?"

"I.." Allen tried hard not to notice damp tips of long hair brushing his arm. He controlled a blush with a deep breath. "Its none of your business!"

"Che." Kanda's grip shifted to Allen's jaw, and tightened. "None of my business?"

Dark, opal eyes glared deep into grey ones, flickering with simmering fury.

"Meow?"

"What the hell is that?"

A small, furry head popped out from the white haired boy's clothes and stared at Kanda inquiringly, before hissing like a snake- baring its tiny fangs at him.

Tension broken, Kanda scowled disdainfully at the cat and slackened his grip.

Allen found himself breathing again.

Even though the man's hand was nowhere near his windpipe, Allen found his breath catching when he was held that way.

"I don't like it. Put it back."

"No!" At that, Allen protectively stuffed the kitten down his top and defiantly glared at the other. "Why should I do what you say? Its alone and hungry!"

"That's you." Pointing out, Kanda decided he didn't want to argue anymore and picked up the fallen groceries. "We took so long, Jerry's going to be mad."

* * *

><p>"You basically dumped it there! Tim needs me!"<p>

"Who's Tim?" Speaking between mouthfuls of noodles, Kanda questioned impatiently after he swallowed. "Don't talk with your mouth full, its disgusting."

Having ignored five earlier stabs at his table manners, Allen chewed on a fried prawn and continued easily. They had argued all the way in that manner from the kitchen- which ended up to be just at the foot of the stairs- to their room, which was simply round the corner where Kanda found Allen. The gentleman and Allen really had no idea they were going in circles the whole time earlier.

"He's that poor kitten you threw in the kitchen bin! And you left it there!"

"That's mine-" Kanda stopped Allen a moment too late, and only managed to snatch a prawn tail from the boy. The rest of the prawn was rolling in balls in said boy's mouth. "I hate you."

"I hate you too! How can you do that to that poor thing?"

Stabbing a cucumber slice with unwonted venom, Allen chewed it with half of the vegetable out of his mouth; just to spite Kanda.

Repulsively watching the cucumber flick around at Allen's mouth as he chewed it, Kanda felt his appetite for Soba diminish to almost nothing. "I did not throw it in the bin, it went in himself and I only covered the lid over trash, nothing wrong there!"

"But he only wanted to get at the fish bones inside!" Finishing the cucumber, Allen picked up another one and did it again. It effectively elicited a dangerously annoyed expression from the other. Good.

"It went in the trash itself, that's it. And Jerry wants it anyway, so stop that!"

Allen let half of the cucumber fall when Kanda finally reached over and slapped at it, breaking the strand.

"Big meanie."

Telling himself firmly not to look into Allen's watering eyes, Kanda resolutely nibbled at a pumpkin, staring at his noodles as if they had personally offended him. "I don't like it, I told you."

They didn't though, they were good just as the cook's food would always turn out.

He actually knew the cat would be treated well there, rather than running with this stupid, idiotic, beansprout of a boy. But he just didn't want to let Allen know he left the cat there so it would be fed well, rather than living on scrap rations the boy could spare. Like, on purpose.

Leaving him alone would be a plus though, to be honest. The cat in question seemed to return those feelings well.

"Idiot."

"Are you calling yourself one? Yes you are." Kanda finished the last of his food and watched Allen wolf down his in double speed. It was remarkable, watching him finishing triple portions almost the same time as _he_ did. Horrid table manners though.

"Now that we are full, care to tell me what it was that is none of my business?"

Allen nearly choked on a noodle and barely stopped himself from letting said noodle fly out from his mouth (that would be in Kanda's direction), and he hacked for a few moments with his room mate watching him suffer impatiently.

It was no good hoping Kanda would give up hounding him then, it seems.

People here seem to share a common stubborn streak.

Allen couldn't even start to figure why Kanda seemed to treat it as a matter of great importance. He only refused to answer it just because, well, that's what he would do.

And that he was so focused trying not to blush that it was the only coherent sentence he could manage. He had to stick to his argument.

"Why is it your business? We had only met just over twenty four hours!"

The words slowly washed over Kanda as he considered them. He didn't quite believe it himself; it had seemed a very long time.

Yet it was undeniable truth.

The elder teen cleared his throat in dignity-or it was how he wanted it to appear- and pretended Allen had never made a good point.

"I'm your room mate, you're under my charge, _newbie._ You're accounting everything you do to me."

Before Allen could continue, Kanda went on.

"So tell me what were you doing earlier with that curly-hair."

"I was just lost, I..we.."

"He didn't know his way either," A raised brow indicated Kanda's extreme skepticism. "You didn't go anywhere with him? You were straying for a long time."

"There's lots of corridors, thats all."

"Did he.." Kanda seemed to struggle for a moment before giving up. "Okay, nevermind. Clean up."

Allen mentally gaped at Kanda's sudden nonchalance; a total contradictory act compared to his insistence earlier. He had even prepared a long, detailed and boring story of the passageways he explored with Tim behind that person, just to entertain him. Even how many times he had passed a certain pillar, he didn't keep count or remember, but he could just pretend that he did.

He halfhearted restacked his plates into a minutely less haphazard pile and both of them worked in silence until Allen couldn't take the strain anymore.

"What is it?"

Kanda glanced up coldly, deadpanned Allen for a second and picked his tidied tray up.

"Hey! Bakanda!"

"Che."

Ignoring the boy save for that sound, Kanda turned and was at the door when Allen caught up and grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't ignore me."

"Your business is none of mine, you said it yourself."

"Who was the one who said he's in charge of me?" Getting increasingly exasperated at Kanda's ever changing stand, Allen accidentally tugged the sleeve too hard, and the hastily-donned garment easily slid off the owner's shoulder. "Uh..wait, I didn't-"

"So you want me to take care of you?" That action seemed to bring Kanda's iratism to a new level, and he spoke without looking at the shying boy slowly letting go of his clothes. "Or do you not?"

"I..I don't know.."

"Idiot." Allen heard a ringing crash as Kanda let his tray fall to the ground; nothing broken, thankfully, but the boy's attention was quickly brought back to Kanda, who was now backing him against a wall.

"I don't take care of idiots, no matter you want to or not. You can die in the street for all you want."

"But-"

The rest of Allen's statement was buried by another mouth sealing over his, and something took advantage of his mid-sentence to slide between Allen's lips.

The boy, despite having attacked once by the same person before, had brushed the earlier off as a mean prank. Yet he was doing it again..what did that mean?

Thinking of the possibilities of reactions made the boy slow in action, and it was not long before he was wilting under Kanda, feeling his body pressed between the other and the wall.

"...Well?"

* * *

><p>AN: I'm updating slower after this chapter because school term had started.. but keep looking out for updates! As always, review and you'll give me a speed boost! XDDD

And sorry, cliffhanger, but I'll make the next one yummy x3 Yes its coming! You know what I'm talking about 8D!

Oh yeah remember to tell me if you want lucky here. Tyki's not going away.


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